CHICAGO - Loyola redshirt junior guard Taylor Johnson (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) has been honored as part of NCAA.com's "Starting Five", which recognizes the nation's top women's basketball players over the past week of competition.

Johnson, the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week, averaged 12.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.4 steals as the Ramblers picked up a pair of wins to wrap up non-conference play. The redshirt junior paced the attack for the Maroon & Gold in a historic 88-75 win over No. 16/15 DePaul back on Dec. 21, pouring in a season-high 24 points, 20 of which came in the second half, to go along with eight assists, four rebounds, a block and three steals. The win, the Ramblers' second over a ranked opponent in program history, was Loyola's first over its rival to the south since the 1993-94 season.

Just a week after her standout performance against DePaul, Johnson further cemented herself into the Loyola record books in a 57-50 win over Rice in Houston, Texas. The Frankfort, Ill. product added 12 points in the victory and, in the process, became the 23rd player in program history to surpass the 1,000-point mark for her Loyola career. As was the case in her performance against DePaul, Johnson stuffed the stat sheet, finishing with seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and three steals.

Joining Johnson in the "Starting Five" for the week were Allazia Blockton (Marquette), Miranda Drummond (St. Bonaventure), Arnecia Hawkins (Arizona State) and Courtney Walker (Texas A&M). A full recap can be found here.

Loyola will look to extend its winning streak to three games when it begins Missouri Valley Conference play on Sunday evening against in-state rival Bradley. Tip-off from Renaissance Coliseum in Peoria, Ill. is slated for 6 p.m.